Israeli airstrikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Thursday reportedly killed the prime minister of the self-proclaimed government set up by the Houthi rebel group, according to Yemeni media, as Israel confirmed ministers were targeted.
Al-Jumhuriya TV and the Aden Al-Ghad newspaper, which are opposed to the Houthis, reported that Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in an Israeli attack on an apartment. Several of his companions also perished, Aden Al-Ghad said.
The Israeli military said it struck a "Houthi terrorist regime military target in Sanaa" during an operation it called "Lucky Drop" but did not confirm Rahawi's killing.
Israeli media had reported that "a large number" of senior members of the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group, which has controlled Sanaa since 2014, were targeted in the airstrikes.
Several Houthi ministers were reportedly struck in the Israeli attack as they gathered in a location outside of Sanaa to listen to a speech by the group's leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi.
The army confirmed that it targeted Houthi Defence Minister Major General Mohammed al-Atifi and Chief of Staff Major General Abdul Karim al-Ghamari, both of whom Israel had allegedly tried to kill during its 12-day air war with Iran in June.
While Israel is yet to officially claim they were killed, some reports suggested that the attack may have been successful.
"The army succeeded in its operation in Sanaa," Israel’s Army Radio claimed on Thursday, adding that the raids, "targeted a meeting of military and political leaders."
The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan) described the attack in Sanaa as being "exceptional and of great importance."
The Houthis, however, have categorically denied all these claims.
The head of the Houthi ruling council in Sanaa, Mahdi Mashat, said that the "Zionist strikes [were] a failure and will remain a failure."
In a statement published by the Houthi-controlled Saba News Agency, he warned that his group will "teach Israel a lesson."
Mashat said Israel’s "criminal" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is dragging the Zionist entity to its demise."
The Houthis have launched regular rocket strikes on Israel, saying this is in solidarity with Palestinians targeted by the genocidal war on Gaza. They have also attacked shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Thursday's strikes were reportedly the 16th time Israel has bombed Yemen in less than two years.
Israel has conducted heavy airstrikes on Houthi sites and Yemen’s civilian infrastructure, destroying airports, ports, fuel depots and power stations.
On Monday, at least 10 people were killed in an Israeli strike on Sanaa.
The US also launched a major aerial campaign against the Houthis earlier this year to stop them from attacking commercial shipping, but the two sides later reached a ceasefire deal.
Still, the Houthis have vowed to continue attacking Israel as long as the Gaza genocide continues.
The Houthis, who have Iranian backing, control most of northern and western Yemen, while the internationally recognised government is based in the southern city of Aden. The Yemeni conflict has lasted for over a decade and caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.